PINTA PARADE

 

The next day at school I am walking with a limp. Coach asks me how’s the leg. I lie and tell him I am at 80 % when in all actuality it is closer to 20. I lie and say that I haven’t run on it since Mattoon. Part of me wants to tell Coach that I did it. Part of me wants to tell Coach that, at three in the morning running naked I decimated the FRISH record. Part of me wants to show him my watch, which I have not yet cleared, always showing the same time as 16:41.

 

“You seem to be limping more Von Behren.”

 

Coach says to put everything on the line. He says that Regional is to be my last race. If I don’t qualify for sectional.

 

Even if you run a minute slower you should still be in the top five.

 

I do a light workout with the team. I wonder if I have betrayed  my Coach by sneaking out and running the course on my own at 3:30 in the morning.

 

 

 

“Lets do this." I tell Coach, even though I am hurting. Even though I re-activated a wound the night I laid everything on the golf course to be born again.

 Game on.

 

                                                                         ***

 

I wish I could call Dawn Michelle. I wish I could learn if she is still alive.

 

                                                                  ***

 

“What?”

 

“I think you really would like it son. I’ll take you out for dinner at LUMS first then we’ll go see Uncle Larry at the game.”

 

My father has just invited me to Limestone’s Football game Friday night. I am to sit in the Home team stands and cheer on the school I would have given my left testicle to attend.

The reason we are going to the game is because my cousin Amanda is a drum major this is the last time the band as a whole get to perform their routine.

 

I want to tell my dad with the exception of Amy everyone I hung out with last week who made me feel a part of their supposed gang is in the band. I want to tell Dad that I thought I really had a special bond with Renae and that I thought we were dating until my oldest friend, who I could have sworn was trying to set us up all summer went out of his way to

 

I want to tell dad that every night before I go to bed I think about the college girl next door slowly stripping before seeing an image of Bob’s penis clanging in the front of my face like a clamp to a bell.

 

I have not spoken with Renae or David Best since last Sunday when all hell imploded in an Armageddon morel.

 

“Dad listen, I should really just stay home and rest. I have the meet the next day.”

 

I point to my leg.

 

“How about this. Since it is senior night they have the band performing their show before the game. We can go watch the game and then leave at halftime.”

 

I don’t want to go.  I don’t want Renae to think I am stalking her or David to remind me about what an idiot I was that I thought, for a moment I was dating rhe girl of my dreams.

My dad tells me come on. He tells me it will be fun.

 

Besides, a lot of your friends go to Limestone.

 

I look back at my father and smile.